


the gentle swan

by sebootyslay



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, Fluff, Gen, Happy Ending, Magic, Patronus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2020-03-01 14:06:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18801862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sebootyslay/pseuds/sebootyslay
Summary: Based of a tumblr prompt:faaby21 said: If Hannibal had a patronus, I don't think it'd be some great mighty animal. I think it would actually be the duck/swans that he fed with Mischa





	the gentle swan

**Author's Note:**

> I am in the middle of my final exam but when I saw this I thought FUCK IT

Hannibal glanced around them. He could feel the cold starting to creep in, the tips of the grass surrounding them frosting up. Will was holding onto Alana, lips murmuring healing spells as a soft red light emitted from the edge of his wand.

“Will,” Hannibal stood up. “I want you to continue what you’re doing. Don’t stop. I will keep us safe.” Hannibal knew Will noticed the tell-tale signs and was slightly panicking. He saw the older professor standing up, his wand gripped tight in his hand. There, in the corner of his eyes, he saw the first Dementor, ready to swoop down. In his hands, Professor Bloom was bleeding badly from the _Sectumsempra_ curse.

“ _Vulnera sanentur_.” Will’s voice was shaking, but his resolve was clear. He held onto his Transfiguration professor tightly by her hand, assuring her staggered breaths as his lips kept chanting the incantation.

Will realized that this would be the first time he would see Hannibal’s patronus.

“ _Expecto patronum_.” Hannibal’s voice wasn’t loud and fiery like how Jack sounded during the Dementor attacks on Hogwarts, unleashing a patronus that took shape of a gigantic bear. His voice was soft and gentle as the white glow on his wand trailed wisps of white light into the air. Will expected a fierce lion, or a roaring dragon, fitting for a man of Hannibal’s stature and profession, but to his surprise, the light took shape of a graceful swan.

The swan spread its wings and flew into the air, circling them in a protective shield. Its light blinded the dementors and they shrieked away. Will saw the light reflected in Hannibal’s eyes, and his professor had a faraway look on his face. When the danger subsided, the swan gently landed in the water next to them, looking ethereal amongst the dark backdrop of the lake.

“Thank you,” Hannibal nodded his head and closed his eyes. The swan gave a graceful glide across the water before dissipating into the air.  
Will was struck dumb for words.

“Will, is Professor Bloom alright?” Hannibal’s voice cut through the boy’s reverie.

“Um, yes. The wound is closed, but we need further medical help.” Will said. His hand squeezed Alana's trembling ones. The woman was half conscious, and Will was worried about the amount of blood loss she had.

“Very good.” Hannibal’s hand touched the back of Will’s neck as a sign of assurance. “This is going to be difficult, Will, as we need to apparate to the castle. I need you to hold onto Professor Bloom's hand as tightly as you can.” Hannibal said firmly as he looked into Will’s eyes. “I need your other hand to hold me tightly, alright?”

“Y-yes Professor.” The 17 year old was shaking as well, but he needs to be brave. Professor Bloom’s life was at hand, and he wasn’t going to let her die. Will gripped on Alana's hand tightened and his other hand gripped Hannibal’s forearm is a vice hold.

“Ready now.” Hannibal said. He saw Will inhale deeply and nod his head. Hannibal closed his eyes, and the three disappeared from the lake.

Will gasped as he felt the soft grass underneath him slipped away and was replaced with cold stone. He glanced around and saw that they were at the cobblestone bridge of the school. He looked behind him to see Hannibal gathering Alana in his arms.

“Can you stand, Will?” he asked. Will nodded and quickly scrambled to his feet. Hannibal gave him a slight smile. “Now let’s get Professor Bloom inside, shall we?”

They hurried into the castle, and was greeted with a pacing Jack and a worried Margot.

“Alana!” Margot gasped at the state of the woman.

“What happened?” Jack chuffed.

“We were attacked. Please, Professor Bloom is seriously injured.”

“Right this way.” Margot lead the way, and Hannibal followed, the students making way easily for them. Will felt a grasp on his shoulder, and he turned around.

“Professor Crawford?”

“Was it...?”

“Mason Verger.” Will confirmed. Jack winced at the name.

“Son of a bitch.” Jack sighed. “Don’t tell Professor Lecter I said that.” He reminded Will. The boy could only give him a weak smile. “You should get checked up as well. I will visit Professor Bloom later on when she is well. Off you go now. Get that cut healed.” Jack pointed to a long cut across his cheek. Will nodded and went off into the direction of the hospital wing. Upon reaching there, he saw Professor Lecter and Margot hovering over Professor Bloom. The injured woman laid on the bed, wounds seemingly taken cared off.

“Will.” Margot was the first to notice him enter. At his name, Professor Lecter lifted his head. “Oh darling, your face.”

“My arm too, sort off.” The boy gestured to his left arm that felt slightly off.

“Sit down over there, sweetheart. I’ll come to you when I’m done over here.” Margot pointed to a nearby bed.

“No need, Margot. I can tend to Will.” Professor Lecter said with a smile. “Please come and sit, Will.” Hannibal gestured to a bed five spaces away from Alana and Margot. Will walked in and sat down on the bed. Hannibal stood in front of him. His hand took a gentle hold of Will’s face.

“Professor?” Will’s voice was soft.

“Tell me where you are hurt, Will.” The man murmured. “This right here?” he pressed on the cheek wound gently, and Will grimaced. “Apologies, dear Will.”

Will saw Hannibal lift his wand up to the cut.

“ _Episkey_.” Will felt warmth on his skin, and the throbbing pain from the cut slowly disappeared. “And you left arm?”

“It feels weird.” Will said. “Can’t lift it high.” Hannibal hummed and pressed Will’s shoulder area lightly.

“It is dislocated. It doesn’t need magic to heal, just a few twists to slot it back into its joint socket.” Hannibal neared and placed a firm hand on Will’s shoulder and the upper part of his arm. “Now this might hurt a little, but I promise you would feel better after.” Will nodded his head, and with a sharp twist that elicited a small cry from the boy, Will’s arm felt better.

“Aah,” Will shied away from the touch Hannibal gave to his shoulder. There were unshed tears in his eyes.

“Shh, I’m just checking if it slotted in correctly, dear Will.” Hannibal hushed him softly. Will let the professor feel around his arm until he was satisfied.

“Is it okay?”

“Perfectly fine. You would be sore for a few days, but that is just the muscle around it healing.” Hannibal gave him a smile and cupped his face for a short while before pulling his hands back. “Come to my office, Will. There’s a lot to be discussed, and I have chocolate there.”

“Yes please.” Will stood up to follow his professor.

“Everything alright there?” Margot asked as she saw them leaving. “You stitched up Will, Hannibal?”

“As fine as I can.” The man said.

“Well, I trust you. Come back later if you feel any pain whatsoever sweetheart.” Margot flashed the teen a smile.

“Will do, Margot.” He said before running off to catch up with Professor Lecter. Margot smiled a little and shook her head.

“Hannibal and Will, Alana.” She sighed as she looked down at the sleeping woman. “I’d say too young but who knows.” Margo chuckled to herself as she watched her sleeping colleague.

 

“Here you are.” Hannibal handed him a square of chocolate. Will saw him break some off from a very fancy looking chocolate bar and almost snorted. Of course, the fanciest things for the esteemed Professor Lecter.

“Thank you.” Will accepted the treat. Hannibal gestured him to sit on a rather comfortable looking chair, and Will took up on his offer. He sank in and was enveloped comfortably in the chair, gasping. Hannibal smiled at the reaction.

“The chair was made specifically for omegas in the lycantroph community. Their breed needs constant comfort and the feeling of being embraced calms them.” Hannibal explained. Will’s ears perked up as he took a small bite of the chocolate, the treat melting soothingly on his tongue.

“Have you met alpha and omega lycantrophs? Bev is only a Beta, and she said that she’s pretty much the same as any muggle or wizard.”

“In fact I have.” Hannibal sat in the chair in front of him and crossed his legs. “Had a fight with an alpha once. Very dangerous creatures when in Rut.”

“What did he do?”

“Well, it was primarily my fault. I wandered into his territory when his omega mate is in heat. Its natural for an alpha to slip into a frenzied angered state when his mate, especially an omega, is threatened. We all managed to calm down, however, so that is a good ending to one story.” Hannibal said with a smile. Will nodded his head, still taking small bites of his chocolate. Hannibal tilted his head as he looked at Will. “There’s something you wish to ask me, Will?”

“I, uh.” Will flushed red.

“It’s alright. Go on.”

“Your patronus... is a swan?” Will hesitantly asked. Hannibal smiled in encouragement to finish his question. “And the way you chant the spell... it’s soft, as if you’re whispering it but the patronus is still strong enough to protect us.”

“My patronus.” Hannibal sucked on his bottom lip for a while. “Will, what do you know about patronuses?”

“That they manifest in the shape of what is dear to us or our personality?”

“Correct. Anything else? That is relative to incantation?”

“The louder you do it, the stronger it is?”

“That, is where most is wrong.” Hannibal lifted a finger. “The strength of your patronus does not rely on how loud you shout out the spell, but rather on how strong your memory while reciting the spell is. Most people use strong memories as a driving force to feed their patronus and that affects on how you chant it. A strong and emotional memory would prompt a louder voice in trying to emulate the strength of the memory.”

“So your memory isn’t a strong one?” Will was confused. “But it was strong enough to fend multiple dementors.”

“My memory...” Hannibal glanced to the side. “my memory is a strong one, but it is also soft in nature.” He got up and went to his desk. Will waited for his professor to continue speaking. “I used to have a sister, Mischa.”

“Mischa Lecter?”

“Mischa Sforza Lecter.” Hannibal leaned on his desk with a smile. “The sweetest little thing. She was like my own daughter, in a sense. I loved her so intense, that her death almost ripped me apart.”

“Oh,” Will understood the sudden somber tone. “How did she die, if I may ask?”

“Death Eaters. They raided our home, and our parents sent us off to run. I was ten, and little Mischa was only four. She could only run so far until her little legs were exhausted. They caught up to us, and they...” Will saw the hands that held the edges of the table turn white from the force exerted. “They killed her.”

“Right in front of you?”

“Her body slumped in my arms, and with a rage I never knew I had, I pointed my wand back at them and killed them as well.” Will stared in shock.  
“B-but you were... ten?” Hannibal smiled bitterly at him.

“I echoed back the spell, wanting to do nothing more than the same of what he did to Mischa. I caught him by surprise, and he died. I was a killer at the tender age of 10.”

“How were you saved?”

“A unicorn approached us.” Hannibal looked away from Will’s inquisitive eyes. “I climbed on it carrying Mischa, and it let me. It then took me out of the forest and to the village. They took me in, kept my murder quiet and raised me to what I am today.”

“So the memory you used...” Will was careful to watch the man’s expression, not wanting to offend him after such a terrible tale. “Was it a memory of Mischa?” Hannibal smiled as he closed his eyes and nodded.

“A fond memory on one evening. Mischa had a late development, she can barely form words and only started talking when she was three. We were feeding the swans that day, throwing bread to them in the lake when she looked at me with her beautiful, wide eyes that sparkled innocence and wonder only a child could have, and said my name.” Hannibal took a deep breath to calm his emotions. “She said... ‘Hannibal' in that sweet voice of hers, and my world stopped spinning. It no longer orbits on an axis around me, it now circles Mischa as I have never experienced happiness that intense.”

“That sounds... wonderful. “ Will could feel the sadness radiating from his professor. “I’m sorry you had to lose Mischa that way.”

“You are no different, Will. You lost your parents and siblings in one night as well, didn’t you?”

“But you were forced to kill... that must have been hard to do.” He heard Hannibal chuckle.

“Doing bad things to bad people makes us feel good.” He said. “While it was particularly horrifying to hear that a child used a killing curse, I felt nothing as I killed the man. He took away my family, so I took away his life.” Hannibal saw how Will didn’t coil away or show any disgust at his confession.

“I guess so... but I couldn’t imagine killing anybody...”

“Stress on a situation could push humans to greater heights and allows them to possess strength and abilities thought impossible. Anyone can do anything, Will, if they are pushed close enough to the edge. I almost lost myself that night, and I might as well have as everything I had ever loved in my life were taken away from me.”

“You’re a survivor, Professor Lecter! You should be proud of that. Besides, you killed a death eater. I don’t think people will begrudge you for that. Not me, at least.” Will said with a shrug. “I’m glad you’re alive, because then I’d never gotten to meet you. You are my favourite professor after all.” Hannibal chuckled as he walked over to where the boy sat. He gently ruffled the soft curls through his fingers.

“Don’t let Professor Bloom hear you say that.” Will let out a soft laugh. He beamed at the professor, his smile stretched to his ears. “You should go to the dormitories to rest, Will. You had a long night, and I’m sure your friends are worried about you.”

“But what about you? You’ll be alone.” Will’s cheeks reddened at his question that slipped out of his mouth before he could think. That made Hannibal laugh.

“Cheeky boy. I’ll be fine. Off you go now.” He patted his shoulders. Will reluctantly stood up. Before he left, he dashed in to hug the professor, effectively startling him.

“Thank you, professor.” He said before running out of the office. Hannibal watched as the boy scampered off, his head reeling on how sweet he smelled when he pressed himself close to him.

**Author's Note:**

> I have freaking maths tomorrow but i cannot help myself


End file.
